Was Jesus Possessed? - More Seeds of Hope for Lent

Today’s story seed is Possessed From the Gospel of John chapter 8, verses 51 and 52 Jesus said to the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” So the Jews said to him, “Now we are sure that you are possessed.” A seven-year-old girl went back in time. She had made a time machine out of a cardboard box. When she opened her eyes and stepped out of her cardboard box, she didn’t recognize her surroundings. Her house was gone. The car in the driveway was missing. The streetlights weren’t there. She called for her mother, but there was no answer. She began to cry and scream for “Mommy.” A woman wearing old-fashioned clothing came to her side. “What’s the matter child?” “I can’t find my mom and my house is gone.” “Oh my,” said the woman as she took a good look at this strange girl in unusual clothes. “Now, whereabouts are you from?” “Right here, this is my house, but it’s gone.” “Well, your house couldn’t have been here. This is a field, and there has never been a house on it. How about I take you to see the sheriff. He’ll know how to find your folks.” “I’m not leaving,” said the girl. “I’ll just get back in my box. When she turned to go back to her cardboard box, she couldn’t find it. My box is gone!” “You are saying that you were staying in a wood box and now it’s gone?” “No, it wasn’t wood. It was cardboard,” corrected the girl. “Missy,” the young woman said, “you’re acting mighty strange. I don’t know what ‘cardboard’ is, but it is easy enough to see that there isn’t a box on this field. Sit yourself down in the comfortable grass. I’ll get some help.” Before long there was a group of people standing around the little girl. She repeated, “My family’s house is gone. Our car is gone. The street lights are missing.” “Now, just hold on, little lady,” said one of the men of the group. “What do you mean by a car. Are you talking about a buggy?” “I’m talking about an automobile, a car, our family car that drives me to school.” “Do you use a horse or a mule to power it?” asked the man. The little girl laughed. The engine powers it. We put gas in it, but it’s a hybrid, so we also plug it in for power.” “Plug it into what?” The girl was puzzled. “We plug it into the power socket to get electricity. Don’t tell me you don’t know about electricity.” “What is it?” asked the woman who had found this girl. “It’s what powers your lights so you can see at night.” “Candles?” “No, you flip the switch and that turns on the light so it can be like daylight at night,” said the girl. The crowd stared at her. Then the man said, “Now, we know you are possessed. You are telling us you can make night into day by flipping a switch.” Do you think people from the past would believe you if you told them about electricity, computers, and cellular phones? They would think you, too, were possessed. And they would have proof, because the things you would be telling them would be impossible in their day. They would be sure of it. The people Jesus is talking to in our scripture today have proof positive that Jesus is possessed. He is telling them if they listen and obey his word that they will never die. They know everyone dies. Jesus must clearly be deranged. Here’s the important part. Jesus tells them, and us, he is not talking about the world as we know it. He is talking about another truth. It is the world that he belongs to, the world of his Father, the world of the Spirit. He makes a promise. If you come to this world, you will never die. He is not saying your life on earth will never end. He is promising that there is something else, another kind of reality. He invites us to join him. Your Lenten journey is a step in this direction. Join him. You won’t need a cardboard box to enter. Now let’s take 30 seconds to water the seed… What do you know about the kingdom Jesus is talking about?